MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

SPECIES: Chimaphila menziesii
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
NO-ENTRY
PALATABILITY :
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
In the Vancouver Forest District, British Columbia, little prince's-pine
is used as an indicator species in several biogeoclimatic units for which
guidelines for site diagnosis, tree species selection, and slash burning
have been developed [10].

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SPECIES: Chimaphila menziesii
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Little prince's-pine is a native, evergreen, low rhizomatous shrub or
perennial forb. The woody stems are usually 2 to 6 inches (5-15 cm)
tall and the leathery, whorled leaves are sharply serrate. The plant
has one to three flowers. Fruits are depressed, globose capsules that
often persist through the winter [17,22,24,40].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Chamaephyte
Geophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Little prince's-pine reproduces both sexually and vegetatively. It
develops numerous, minute seeds [24]. Their dispersal mechanism has not
been documented.
Little prince's-pine rhizomes have not been described in the literature.
They are probably, however, like those of prince's-pine, confined to the
duff near or above the mineral soil surface [36].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Little prince's-pine is found in montane to subalpine coniferous forests
[16,17,20,22,26]. In coastal regions of British Columbia little
prince's-pine is an indicator of moderately dry to moist soils within
maritime to submaritime, cool mesothermal climates [19]. On peaks of
the Santa Lucia and Diablo ranges of California, little prince's-pine is
confined to steep, rocky slopes above 4,000 feet (1,200 m) [11]. On the
Mount Hood and Willamette National Forests, it occurs on moist to wet,
imperfectly to well-drained sites at elevations from 2,700 to 6,100 feet
(800-1,850 m). Soils range from deep sandy, silty, or clay loams
developed from volcanic tephra to shallow, stony loams developed from
colluvium or glacial till [15].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Facultative Seral Species
Little prince's-pine is present in all stages of succession [4,5,18,30].
It is shade tolerant [10,19] and is an indicator of low light levels in
some plant associations of the southern Oregon Cascade Mountain Province
[2]. It occurs in the late stages of postfire succession in white fir
(Abies concolor) stands of the northern Sierra Nevada, probably in
response to low light levels [4]. In mixed conifer stands in the
Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon, little prince's-pine develops
highest cover at intermediate light levels [6].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Little prince's-pine flowers from June to August in California [24].

FIRE ECOLOGY

SPECIES: Chimaphila menziesii
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Since little prince's-pine is similar to prince's-pine, it probably is a
fire-sensitive species that is very susceptible to damage and usually
shows a strong decline following fire [32,34,36]. Survival is most
likely dependent on depth of rhizomes, fire severity, and consumption of
duff [8,31,36]. Postfire vegetative recovery probably depends primarily
on scattered individuals surviving in undisturbed microsites [13].
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Rhizomatous low woody plant, rhizome in organic mantle
Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil

FIRE EFFECTS

SPECIES: Chimaphila menziesii
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Most little prince's-pine is probably killed by fire, although
low-severity fire may only top-kill it.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Woodard [41] stated that little prince's-pine is known to grow from deep
rhizomes or to sprout following fire. He found that it was absent,
however, 1 year after a prescribed crown fire in an old stand dominated
by Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) and subalpine fir (Abies
lasiocarpa) in eastern Washington. It was still present in the unburned
control [41].
No other information was found regarding specific responses of little
prince's-pine to fire.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Little prince's-pine was not present on burned or unburned clearcut
sites in grand fir (Abies grandis)/pachistima (Pachistima myrsinites)
habitat types in Oregon. It was present, however, in 175-year-old,
unlogged, adjacent stands [5]. In the same habitat type in Idaho,
prince's-pine was present in 70 percent of near-climax control stands
but only 10 percent of 1-year-old clearcut and burned stands. It was
also absent from 3, 8, 12, and 23-year-old clearcut and burned stands
[42].